URBAN LEGEND

1998

Director:  Jamie Blanks

Writer:  Silvio Horta

Starring:  Jared Leto, Alicia Witt, Rebecca Gayheart, Tara Reid, Joshua Jackson, Danielle Harris, and Robert Englund

I was thirteen when this came out. By then I already grew accustomed to the bloody trail of gore left behind by Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers, so I was pro.  Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer came out shortly before Urban Legend, so I was intrigued to see if it could bring originality to the table and elevate itself above these other modern day horror movies.  

To be blunt, I fucking love this movie.  It's scary, original, and the killer is a chick!  Oh yeah, there's gonna be spoilers in here;)

The opening scene is classic!  "Turn around.  Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and..." and as you sing the rest of that line in your head, all I can do is visualize a masked killer jump up from the back seat and swing a beheading ax right through the fucking window!  Ouch!  Even I thought the gas attendant was the killer in the beginning.  This opener was an exemplary way to open the doors of this bloody tale.  

The death scenes grow more and more grotesque as the movie goes on. Sorry, but I always gave props to the "dog in the microwave" scene simply because the camera angle came out from inside the microwave. For a few seconds, that angle made you believe you were trapped in the small bloody box.  

Even though these deaths are based on well-known myths, they are pleasing to the eye of a horror movie fan.  Pop rocks mixed with Draino, raw screams of terror on the radio, ankle slicing, and almost a kidney!  Now, aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?

The creators also trickle this story with foreshadowing and symbolism.  Right before Sasha's screams from getting slaughtered are heard on the air, a random kid at a party points out that a scream in a particular song is actually a real life scream dubbed off of a 911 call.  Also, if you have ever watched Dawson's Creek, you probably chuckled when Joshua Jackson's character turns on his car only to hear Paula "Hairy Armpits" Cole's "I Don't Want To Wait" blasting from the speakers.  

My favorite little trivia quirk in this film is at the end.  Right before the killer, Rebecca Gayheart's character, is seen alive retelling her own urban legend, a random girl jokes about the killer being the girl from the Noxema commercials.  If you recall correctly, Rebecca Gayheart is indeed the girl from those actual Noxema commercials.  

Rebecca Gayheart is one of the first girls to show me how pure evil can hide behind a sweet and innocent personality on screen.  This is my favorite quality in an actress because not all attempts of this are successful.  Gayheart's twisted character shows off more sex appeal than a drunk Tara Reid can ever accomplish!

One of the most notable things about this film is how well they hide the killer's identity.  I am pretty sure I accused every character of being the killer during my first viewing.  Everyone EXCEPT Gayheart's character ironically.  Obviously I am a professional at spotting the killer within the first fifteen minutes of every horror film, but even I must admit this movie gave me a run for my money.  

This film was also my motivation and influence every time my Oscar nominee self would publicly fake my own death at work using Pop rocks and soda:)  For this I thank you.  

Oh and before I forget, please don't misconstrue my words and watch any of the sequels because they are absolutely horrible.